known, but by Him who tries the thoughts and reins. But dive into this fubject as deep as thou 'canft. Examine thyfelf; and this knowledge of that which paffes within thee will be of more use to thee than the knowledge of all that paffes in 'the world. Concern not thyfelf with the wars and quarrels of public or private perfons take cognizance of thofe contests which are between thy flesh and thy fpirit; betwixt the law of thy 'members and that of thy understanding. Appeafe thofe differences. Teach thy flesh to be in fubjection. Replace reafon on its throne; and give it piety for its counfellor. Tame thy paffions, and bring them under bondage. Put thy little ftate in good order; govern wifely and holily thofe numerous people which are contained in fo little a kingdom; that is to fay, that multitude of affec-. tions, thoughts, opinions, and paffions, which are. in thine heart (i).'

เ

X.

CHAP. XI.

Concerning the Secret Springs of our Actions.

A

NOTHER confiderable branch of felfacquaintance is, to know the true motives and fecret fprings of our actions.

This will fometime: coft us much pains to acquire. But for want of it, we shall be in danger of paffing a falfe judgment upon our actions, and of entertaining a wrong opinion of our conduct.

It is not only very poffible, but very common for men to be ignorant of the chief inducements of their behaviour; and to imagine they act from one

(i) Jurieu's Method of Christian Devotion, part iii. chap. iii.

motive, whilst they are apparently governed by another. If we examine our views, and look into our hearts narrowly, we fhall find that they more frequently deceive us in this refpect than we are aware of; by perfuading us that we are governed by much better motives than we really are. The honour of God, and the intereft of religion, may be the open and avowed motive; whilft fecular intereft and fecret vanity may be the hidden and true one. While we think we are ferving God, we may be only facrificing to Mammon. We may, like Jehu, boast our zeal for the Lord,when we are only animated by the heat of our natural paffions (k) may cover a cenforious spirit under a cloak of piety; and giving admonition to others, may be only giving vent to our spleen.

Many come to the place of public worship, out of custom or curiofity, who would be thought to come thither only out of confcience. And whilft their external and profeffed view is to ferve God, and gain good to their fouls, their fecret and inward motive is only to fhew themselves to advantage, or to avoid fingularity, and prevent others. making obfervations on their abfence. Munificence and almigiving may often proceed from a principle of pride and party-fpirit; and feeming acts of friendfhip from a mercenary motive.

By thus difguifing our motives, we may impofe upon men, but at the fame time we impofe upon ourfelves; and whilft we are deceiving others, our own hearts deceive us: and of all impoftures, felf-deception is the most dangerous, because leaft fufpected.

Now, unless we examine this point narrowly, we fhall never come to the bottom of it; and unless we

(k) 2 Kings, x...16

come at the true spring and real motive of our actions, we fhall never be able to form a right judgment of them; and they may appear very different in our own eye, and in the eye of the world, from what they do in the eye of God. For the Lord

seeth not as man seeth : for man looketh on the outward appearance; but the Lord looketh on the beart*. And hence it is, that that which is highly efteemed among men, is oftentimes abomination in the sight of Godt. Every way of man-is right in his own eyes; but the Lord pondereth thebearts.

CHA P. XII.

Every one that knows himself is in a particular Manner fenfible bow far he is governed by a Thirst for Applaufe.

XI.

A

NOTHER thing neceffary to unfold a man's heart to himself is, to consider what is his appetite for fame; and by what means he feeks to gratify it.

This paffion in particular having always so main a ftroke, and oftentimes fo unfufpected an influence on the most important parts of our conduct, a perfect acquaintance with it is a very material branch of felf-knowledge, and therefore requires a diftinct confideration.

Emulation, like the other paffions of the human mind, fhows itself much more plainly, and works much more strongly in fome than it does in others. It is in itself innocent; and was planted in our natures for very wife ends, and, if kept und proper regulations, is capable of ferving very excellet pur

I Sam. xvi. 7.

† Luke xvi. 15.

+ Prov. xx

pofes, otherwise it degenerates into a mean and cri*minal ambition.

When a man finds fomething within him that pushes him on to excel in worthy deeds, or in actions truly good and virtuous, and pursues that defign with a steady unaffected ardour, without referve or falfehood, it a is true fign of a noble fpirit; for that love of praise can never be criminal, that excites and enables a man to do a great deal more good than he could do without it. And perhaps there never was a fine genius, or a noble spirit, that rofe above the common level, and diftinguifhed itfelf by high attainments in what is truly excellent, but was fecretly, and perhaps infenfibly, prompted by the impulse of this paffion.

But, on the contrary, if a man's views centre only in the applause of others, whether it be deferved or not; if he pants after popularity and fame, not regarding how he comes by it; if his paffion for praise urge him to stretch himself beyond the line of his capacity, and to attempt things to which he is unequal; to condefcend to mean arts and low diffimulation for the fake of a name; and in a finifter, indirect way, fue hard for a little incenfe, not caring from whom he receives it; his ambition then becomes vanity. And if it excite a man to wicked' attempts, make him willing to facrifice the esteem of all wife and good men to the acclamations of a mob; to overleap the bounds of decency and truth, and break through the obligations of honour and virtue, it is then not only vanity, but vice; a vice the molt deftructive to the peace and happiness of human fociety, and which of all others hath made the greatest havock and devastation among men.

What an instance have we here of the wide dif

G

ference between common opinion and truth! That a vice fo big with mischief and misery should be miftaken for a virtue! And that they who have been most infamous for it should be crowned with laurels, even by thfoe who have been ruined by it; and have thfoe laurels perpetuated by the common consent of men through after ages! Seneca's judg ment of Alexander is certainly more agreeable to truth than the common opinion; who called him "a public cut-throat rather than a hero; and who, "in feeking only to be a terror to mankind, arose to "no greater an excellence than what belonged to "the most hurtful and hateful animals on earth” (l.

Certain it is that thefe falfe heroes who seek their glory from the deftruction of their own fpecies, are of all men moft ignorant of themselves; and by this wicked ambition entail infamy and curfes upon their name instead of that immortal glo. ry they purfued. According to the prophet's words, "Woe to him who coveteth an evil covetouf"nefs to his houfe, that he may fet his neft on high; "that he may be delivered from the power of evil. "Thou haft confulted fhame to thine house, by cut

(1) Sen. de Benef. cap. 13. "How different from this is the judgment of Plutarch in this matter! who, in his oration concerning the fortune and virtue of Alexander, exalts him into a true hero; and juftifies all the waste he made of mankind, under (the fame colour with which the Spaniards excufed their inhuman barbarities towards the poor Indians, viz.) a pretence of civilizing them. And in attributing all his fuccefs to his virtue, he talks more like a foldier ferving under him in his wars, than an hiftorian who lived many years afterwards, whofe bufinefs it was to tranfmit his character impartially to future ages. And in whatever other refpects Mr. Dryden may give the perference to Plutarch before Seneca (which he does with much zeal in his perface to Plutarch's Lives) yet it must be allowed that, in this inftance at least, the latter fhows more of the philofopher." See Plut. Mor. vol. i. ad fin.